The Oldest Pro Wrestling Match Ever From 1913

Gustav Fristensky vs. Josef Smejkal was the first professional wrestling match ever recorded. Watch it with me, then I’ll give some thoughts.

Where are they wrestling? It looks like a field with a few hundred people in the crowd. Let’s assume it is CZW’s Tournament of Death. Like most ToD participants, these guys are white as ghosts, with dad-bods and shitty gear.

These indie goofs think they’re hosses just because they did a lockup struggle for two and a half minutes. I see right through their charade. The promoter (who is also the champion) told them 8 minutes with entrances, but they’ve only learned five minutes worth of moves. Go back to wrestling school guys.

The match actually starts two minutes and forty seconds in, when Gustav takes Josef to SUPLEX CITY, BITCH! It was pretty clear that Josef sandbagged him, and Joseph also wound up on top. THIS IS A SHOOT. Gustav’s a newly trained wrestler, and Josef is just making him pay his dues. You can hear him call: “I don’t give a SHIT what the promoter says! Unless he pays me extra, you’re not going over!” while they were rolling around.

No man was able to out-power the other, and this match went to a time limit draw! The crowd chanted “Five more minutes!”, but CZW let this feud pick up some heat before giving the fans a finish. After putting up a good fight, the rookie gained Josef’s respect, and they shook hands after the match.

Overall, this was a pretty good display of “strong style” wrestling, and Gustaf didn’t just gain Josef’s respect, he gained mine. If you’re reading this, Gustaf, go to EVOLVE. That’s your best shot of working for Vince Jr. one day.